Our “best argument” addressing the ills of society is the witness of our very life….This witness comes from a deep interior life…..Such a witness can and will transform the world…..This witness begins with removing the “wooden beam” from our own eye first

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke a reference to how we see or better put how clearly we see…..”Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye, when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”…….Once again, the theme of “sight” is brought up in Scripture…..What is this “wooden beam” that causes our vision to be blurred?…….If you watch and listen to people today…Many of them are very sincere…Many of them are highly intelligent…Let their actions and words are far from the will of God…"Something" gets in the way…What is that "something"?….The mistake I have made in the past and many still make today is…Logic, facts and even plain old common sense cannot remove this “wooden beam” from the eye of society, allowing it to “see” clearly…..Only God can do this…So what can we do?…….The mark of a holy life can not be understated….Because only saints change the world…..There is something in each person that recognizes a holy life, even if that person is very far from God….This is why if we want to “remove the wooden beam” in “eye of our society”, we must strive to become a holy people…This “witness” I am talking about comes from our interior life…We must deepen our interior life by emptying ourself, thus allowing the Holy Spirit to fill us….Our best argument against the ills of society is the witness of our life…But before that happens, we first must “remove the wooden beam” from our own eye, this in turn will help those around us to "see" the "beam" in their eye, so they can do the same - And remove it!.

“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit.”

St Francis lived during a time when the Church was in need of renewal….It was said that one time St Francis encountered a priest who had a girlfriend. When St Francis saw this priest, instead of scolding him, St Francis kissed his hands telling the priest it is because of his consecrated hands that he is able to receive the Blessed Sacrament…This priest was so moved by St Francis, who at this time was known for being a holy man, that the priest repented from his life of sin…I have also read a story about a lay woman from France, who had a husband who had many extra-marital affairs….This woman led such a holy life and after her death, when her husband read his wife’s prayer journal, not only did he repent of his life of sin but he became a Dominican Priest. - That is a true story…How did this happen? - How could this happen?….The mark of an authentically holy life changes people…How?…Because within each of us, even if we “bury it”, is the Spirit of God…And when a person witnesses a holy life, something within themselves is stirred…..No argument - No amount of facts - and No sermon can make this happen - Only the witness of a holy life…So this is what Catholics must strive to do if we want to make a difference in this world because without such a witness we are in essence wasting our time….When Mother Teresa started her first home for those who were dying on the street, she worked in a Hindu neighborhood near a temple…The people at first hated her and even threatened her with physical violence…But one day one of the men that was leading the protests against Mother Teresa went inside the Home she founded with her sisters and saw with his own eyes what she was doing…Something “changed” within him…After seeing for himself what Mother Teresa was doing, this man addressed the violent crowd and said this to them….....”When your mothers, wives and sisters do what Mother Teresa is doing, then you can protest, but until then, we must leave her alone”…..The “wooden beam” was removed from this man’s eye….Not by arguments, not by listing out facts…But by the witness of a holy life…..This is the only way to be an instrument of change….So this is what we must strive to do

“Shine like lights in the world as you hold on to the word of life”

St Luke today in the Gospel tells us that in order for us to “see” what is wrong with others, we must first address what is wrong with ourselves…Everyone today wants to “change the world” but no one wants to change themselves…..But how do we change ourselves?…This begins with acknowledging our own sins….All the virtues stem from the virtue of humility…A humble person knows that he or she is a sinner and admits their faults…That is step one…Step two - We confess our sins to a Priest…Only God can forgive sins and time does not heal our wounds caused by sin…Time only allows our wounds to fester…Step three - Once we are in the state of grace we receive the Blessed Sacrament, which is Jesus himself…..We can not “transform” ourself without the help of God’s grace…But I will tell you this, when we open ourself up to God’s grace, not only will we be transformed, but we will transform the world around us…..Our “best argument” addressing the ills of society is the witness of our very life….This witness comes from a deep interior life…..Such a witness can and will transform the world…..This witness begins with removing the “wooden beam” from our own eye first.